Diego Cruz, 15

Hollywood: Diego Cruz, 15, a Latino youth, was shot and killed in the 5600 block of Santa Monica Boulevard at about 8 p.m. Monday, Dec. 24.

The driver of a passing car heard shots, saw him collapse, and called 911. Passersby said they heard four or five shots.

Cruz was on the sidewalk, not breathing, when police arrived, and he was taken to Cedars-Sinai. Cruz was a student at Hollywood High. His family are Oaxaquenos from the Mexican state of Oaxaca and speak a mix of Spanish and Zapoteco.

Martimiano Cruz Lopez, Diego's father, is a cook at Swingers restaurant on Beverly Boulevard. He was at the East Hollywood apartment he shared with his son Wednesday trying to make arrangements to have his son's body sent from the morgue at the hospital back to Mexico, with the help of the Mexican Consulate. Looking exhausted and tense, he seemed reluctant to sit, and when he did, perched rigidly at the edge of his chair, eyes wide, hands folded. He said he came to Los Angeles from the town of San Diorisio Ocotepec, Oaxaca about three years ago to work, then brought Diego, the second of five children, up here to join him last year. "I wanted him to improve himself and learn English," said Cruz Lopez. "We never intended to stay."

Diego, his father said, loved Los Angeles, and especially loved attending school at Hollywood High. He was outgoing, clownish at times, and liked to draw. Relatives were preparing for Christmas, cooking, and dropping off gifts with friends on Christmas Eve. Diego asked his father for permission to make a quick trip to Sears on Santa Monica Boulevard to buy a present for a girl he liked. He never made it into the store. Cruz Lopez was home when he got the call his son had been shot. At the scene, police told him the news as he stood on the street. He went to the hospital to view his son's body, and called home to tell Diego's mother the news. She had been crying ever since, he said. He had barely slept. They couldn't believe this was happening, another family member said. It didn't seem real.

(You have reached the end of the weekly listing of homicide victims in Los Angeles County, Dec. 24-30, 2007.)

Comments

[Derrick]

From his picture, he looks like a nice clean cut young man. Why on Christmas Eve some gangster senselessly took his life for nothing. Really sad, I feel sorrow for the family.

[Mark]

Maybe the police commission can take some time out of their busy workday investigating the LAPD and offer some help in finding the predators/street terrorists who did this crime.

[Alejandroe84]

First Id like to send my condolences to family who had lost their child on the most senseless act. He was in his prime, and I'm pretty sure, he had no affiliation to gangs, or of being a punk on the havoc streets of Los Angeles.

I'm sure with the help with detectives, and the help of the community, you can solve, yet, another tragic, and horrific crime in which had taken place. Unless not, you wouldn't hope it to be lost in the cracks of the American Criminal justice System.

Once again, my thoughts and prayers go out to this young boys family, and I'm glad my family doesn't live there anymore, and that they got away from the ill written crime.

Thank you.

[Jessica]

This is heartbreaking. May he rest in peace.

[unbelieveable]

Sears closed @ 6.... poor guy... may he rest n piece

[Lea]

This is sad and horrible, my condolenses , so do they think that they might of shot him by mistake? do they know anything about the shooter?

[thanx2themedia]

This poor kid lived in a neighborhood that gangs know is dominated by MS-13. I am sure that he was mistaken for an MS-13 gang member and that is why he was killed. Just like the other kid that was killed moving cars in Koreatown. Thanks to the media hype on MS-13 being "the most dangerous gang in the world", all the other gangs have targeted MS-13. Even the LA Times has done it's share of creating public enemy #1. The media hypes up gangs, which then causes two things: 1.) kids that are not sure which gang to join, now know which one because of all the free propaganda (thanks a bunch to Lisa Ling, National Geographic, etc.); and 2.) it causes all the other gangs to hate this one gang that's getting all the attention. In short, all the sensationalist media efforts CAUSE MORE VIOLENCE. There should be a "media tax", and a gun tax, just like the tax on tobacco, in order to address all the downstream effects of their irresponsible behavior.

[smokeonit]

my deepest condolences.

i hope the family has the strength they need.

[smokeonit]

to lea: sears on santa monica blvd closed @ 9pm that day...

and this has nothing to do with this whole thing... or are teenagers that just want to hang out with friends not worth of living??? what kind of logic feeds you???

no matter where you live, your kids should be safe no matter what, if your rich or poor... no parents should have to endure stuff like this... and that this kind of thing is still happening just shows us that nothing has changed and that some people just don't care for the poorer community...

if a kid from a rich neighborhood would have been shot like this it would be on national news! but since it's "just" a latino immigrant kid no one cares...

again, my deepest condolences to the family and friends!!!

[P.Cardenas]

It saddens me that we live in a World that turns that handsome youngman in to another Latino/Hispanic statistic.

[Mary]

I will pray for you, Mr.and Mrs.Lopez.

[DEE]

This is truely a sad story ...on christmas eve when all he was tryin to do is buy a gift. He was innocent ...what kind of person goes out shooting on christmas eve this is so horrible.Rest in Peace and I hope god gives strength to his family to get through this tragedy.

[DEE]

This is truely a sad story ...on christmas eve when all he was tryin to do is buy a gift. He was innocent ...what kind of person goes out shooting on christmas eve this is so horrible.Rest in Peace and I hope god gives strength to his family to get through this tragedy.

[robert]

This is horrible! What is with these depraved criminals who kill for absolutely no reason? A young kid who has done nothing to deserve this! Handguns need to be abolished and anyone caught with one should be jailed and deported if not a citizen. This kid will never get to do anything just because some punk wants to add a notch to his belt. This is pathetic! R.I.P. Diego He looks like a cool guy...

[Enrique]

This is a moving and sad story (as each of these stories are). My family is from Oaxaca and I would love to make a donation to this family to help them with the burial expenses. Is this something the LA Times could facilitate?

[J@zmine]

Diego was the sweetest guy tht u can meet we all mizz him a lot and especially me i luv him a lot he was my best friend even though i didnt know him for too long i knew whut kind of a heart he had and it was unbelivable tth i guy like him wuld die =( I cant imagine how to go on w/my life its relly hard knowing tht we will never see each other or talk ever again why wuld they do thiz to us why dont they understand tth killing is not gonna hurt only the person but also all those who love them i wish thiz never happened and it was just like a relly bad dream but its not ITS REAL..................